Airsonic vs Amperfy
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted media servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Airsonic
Archived
Free, web-based media streamer derived from Subsonic
VS
Amperfy
iOS music streaming client for Ampache and Subsonic
| Feature | Airsonic | Amperfy |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 84 · Excellent |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Java | Swift |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,045 | ★ 1,761 |
| First released | 2017 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Spotify | Spotify, Apple Music |
What are Airsonic and Amperfy?
Airsonic
Airsonic is a free, web-based media streamer providing access to your music collection from anywhere. It is the community fork of Subsonic and supports the Subsonic API for use with many client apps.
- Subsonic API support
- Multi-user with roles
- On-the-fly transcoding
- Podcast support
Amperfy
Amperfy is a free and open-source iOS music streaming app that connects to Ampache and Subsonic-compatible servers. It supports offline playback, playlists, and CarPlay for self-hosted music libraries.
- Ampache and Subsonic support
- Offline playback
- CarPlay integration
- Playlist sync
Airsonic vs Amperfy: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Airsonic's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Amperfy is actively maintained. Airsonic is written in Java, while Amperfy is built with Swift. Amperfy is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Airsonic. Airsonic is the more established project (first released 2017), while Amperfy arrived in 2021. Airsonic lists first-class Docker deployment; Amperfy does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Airsonic if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2k GitHub stars)
- Written in Java
Watch out for
- Original repo less active
- Java memory usage
Choose Amperfy if…
- Native iOS experience
- Supports two server APIs
Watch out for
- iOS only
- Music only
Frequently asked questions
Is Airsonic or Amperfy better?
Neither is universally better. Airsonic has the larger community, while Amperfy is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Airsonic and Amperfy free and open-source?
Yes. Airsonic is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Amperfy under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Airsonic and Amperfy with Docker?
Airsonic: yes. Amperfy: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Airsonic or Amperfy?
Amperfy has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Airsonic. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.